General Sports 24 Hours

Last updated: August 26, 2026, 3:05 PM ET

WNBA

The Fever-Sky matchup on Sunday drew 3.31 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched regular-season game since the league's inaugural 1997 campaign. The Dallas Wings clinched the final playoff berth Tuesday with a 96-78 victory over the Portland Fire, as Paige Bueckers, the 2025 No. 1 pick, scored 22 points. Golden State earned its first franchise win over Minnesota in the latest power rankings, moving closer to hosting playoff games. Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter said Enes Kanter Freedom was banned from Wintrust Arena after a verbal altercation with a Sky player showed he had the potential to be a threat.

Golf

Scottie Scheffler said he is 95% recovered from hand, foot and mouth disease heading into the Tour Championship, where he enters as the favorite. The full field breakdown from No. 1 Scheffler through No. 30 includes Wyndham Clark, who won last week. PGA Tour Champions player Matt Gogel received a six-month suspension Wednesday for placing bets on PGA Tour competition. Golf Channel postponed the debut of its "Big Break" reboot because of the ongoing Good Good controversy. Back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy praised the PGA Tour's decision to change their end-of-season play-offs to matchplay, calling it a "big swing" that gives fans what they want.

Boxing and MMA

British boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed described Moses Itauma as "a million times better" than Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. Itauma says Filip Hrgovic's taunts are starting to wind him up before their fight Saturday. Bella Mir missed out on a UFC contract after suffering a shock loss to Alex Apodaca on the Contender Series. Most Valuable Promotions celebrates its fifth anniversary Saturday, having given a new platform to women's boxing with stars like Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron.

NFL and College Football

Tua Tagovailoa will start Friday's Falcons preseason finale, but head coach Kevin Stefanski said no Week 1 quarterback has been named. The Big Ten officially passed a rule banning NFL players from returning to its schools, and the SEC followed suit, extending the ban to basketball as well. The Big Ten's rule stops players from the NFL playing for one of its schools. For the 49ers to return to the playoffs, it could depend on under-the-radar players like Demarcus Robinson and whoever starts at left guard. Bill Belichick's coaching has "blown away" North Carolina punter Adam Gibbs-McCann, who says Belichick's "wisdom" is guiding the Tar Heels on their Dublin trip ahead of the opener vs. TCU. The Big 12's title contenders are predicted across all 16 teams, with some expected to miss out.

College Football Rankings

The top 100 players ahead of the 2026 season have been ranked, and our reporters weigh in on what the committee might have missed, including whether Dante Moore was snubbed. Marty Whims II, an Akron graduate and longtime season-ticket holder, was named the winner of the "Offensive Coordinator of the Game" promotion.

Tennis

Stan Wawrinka will make a farewell appearance at the US Open despite initially missing out on a wildcard, thanking the tournament for the late invite. Seven years after her incredible US Open victory, Bianca Andreescu is fighting to make the main draw after countless setbacks. Alex Eala made her US Open debut with little expectation but returns as a top-20 contender with hopes of a deep run. Britons Harriet Dart and Fran Jones both made winning starts in US Open qualifying. Olympic figure skating champion Alysa Liu confirmed she will not compete during the 2026-27 season.

Cricket

Joe Root has shown himself to be the off-field leader England need, and now comes a chance to show his credentials as captain on-field. Fast bowler Josh Tongue said Root's message about off-field behaviour has "100%" been heeded by the England players. Cardiff City completed the signing of defender Krystian Bielik from Championship rivals West Brom. The Belfast Wolves and Dublin Guardians will play their first game of the European T20 Premier League in Voorburg on Thursday.

Rugby and Other Sports

Premiership Women's Rugby says average attendances rose by 23.4% during the 2025-26 season, which concluded with Saracens winning a record fourth title. Great Britain have landed three current, former and future NBA players for their EuroBasket qualifying double-header. St Helens legend Jonny Lomax announced he will retire at the end of the season. Mark Allen will sit out the British Open and English Open for personal reasons, extending his absence from the professional circuit. European 800m champion Audrey Werro backs herself to overhaul the 43-year-old world record in Zurich. Saffron Cresswell was a promising eventer before a fall left her paralysed; just eight months after first sitting in a canoe, she is heading to the Worlds in para-canoe. Kinley Rasmus of Phenix City, Alabama, broke the record for most hits by a girl at the Little League World Series with her fifth of the tournament. Gary Woodland, battling "a lot of days that suck," says he hopes talking about his struggles with PTSD will help others.